Captivated - Moriarty
by ConsultingNovelist
Summary: Jim Moriarty is bored. Aria Striker captures the attention of the consulting criminal but the problem is, she is the girlfriend of none other that John Watson and constantly under the eye of the curious Sherlock Holmes. Jim soon changes that, but when he does he discovers that Aria isn't the quiet, shy woman that she presents herself as.
1. Chapter 1

Aria Striker strolled down the street, scraping her heels against the pavement.  
She looked at her watch which said that the time was five o' clock but Aria knew that she left the house at half past ten and she had only been walking for five minutes.  
"Great, I'll have to add 'new watch' to the list of things that I can't afford to buy." she grumbled to herself.

She stopped walking when she reached 221B Baker Street and knocked the door.  
When it opened Aria was met by a friendly faced old lady. "Hello dear, you must be Aria. I'm Mrs Hudson." the woman smiles then led Aria upstairs.  
"John!" Mrs Hudson called. "Your girlfriend is here!"

John rises from his seat and kisses Aria on the cheek then turns to Sherlock who is playing violin in the corner of the room.  
"Alcalanto number one?" Aria wonders out loud and Sherlock suddenly stops playing.  
"John never said you were a violinist." Sherlock smirked.  
"I'm not." Aria folded her arms.  
"Oh really?" Sherlock grinned, getting into his deduction mode.  
"Sherlock, no." John warned.  
"The angle of your fingers tells me otherwise." Sherlock sighed, trying not to scare away another of John's girlfriends.  
"It does?" Aria scoffed. "Well then I'm sure my posture would tell you that I am in fact a cellist. Not a violinist."

Sherlock raised an eyebrow and the atmosphere between the two becomes competitive.  
"You've been playing for seventeen years."  
"Eighteen."  
"Although you don't practice much these days."  
"I don't need to."  
"Eh, should we go Aria?" John interrupted.  
"Of course." Aria nodded and swung the door open before running down the stairs.  
"I like her, John. She's not boring like your other girlfriends have been." Sherlock smiled in approval.  
"Well I've never actually seen her act like that before. Maybe it's her way of coping with intimidation." John replied, giving his roommate a stern look.  
"Goodbye John." Sherlock went back to playing his violin and John walked down the stairs to where Aria was waiting.

"Shall we go?" John asked her.  
She nodded and tucked a lock of her ebony hair behind her ear.  
As they wandered down the street, Aria started to act in the way that John was used to again.  
"How about in there?"John pointed to a quaint cafe on the street corner.  
"I told you John. I'll go anywhere, I'm not fussy." Aria knew that she was in fact very fussy and particular about where she goes and what she eats, but this mild-mannered and sweet persona was the one she was presenting to the world.  
There was just something about Sherlock's arrogant smirk and smart arse attitude that made Aria determined to prove him wrong.

John led Aria into the cafe and they sat down and a small table.  
A sour faced woman in a black apron came over and asked to take their orders.  
"Just tea for me." John replied.  
"Coffee, two sugars. Please." Aria murmured, her voice only just loud enough for the impatient waitress to hear.  
"Be right with you." she stomped off.  
"I never thought of you as a coffee person, Aria." John stated, in his feeble attempt to make conversation with the quiet woman sitting opposite him.  
"I couldn't live without it." Aria grinned. "I'm very much a night owl, but I couldn't handle staying up without caffeine."

The waitress returned to the table after about ten minutes and placed two mugs down on the table.  
"Thank you." Aria nodded to the woman before taking a sip of her coffee.  
She sighed in relief as the hot liquid slid down her throat. It had been way too long since she'd had coffee and she was starting to get withdrawal symptoms.  
John payed the waitress and she walked away.  
"You didn't have to do that John. I would have payed." Aria frowned.  
"No, Aria. Money's tight enough for you as it is and I never get the chance to help you out." John shook his head.  
"Well, thank you." Aria blushed. She didn't know how John had figured out about her money problems, but in a way she was glad he did. She had never liked pretending everything was fine for her and she finally had somebody she could talk to about it. Although she was never good at talking.

The pair finished up their drinks and left the cafe into the pouring rain outside.  
Aria was only wearing a light coat over jeans and blouse and her flat pumps had very thin soles.  
"Should we make a run for it?" she giggled as John rushed to put his coat on.  
"I think that's a fantastic idea." John laughed and they ran up the street together until they reached Aria's small house.

"Shall I come in?" John asked, still unsure of where he stood in their fairly new relationship.  
"Eh, no." Aria stammered.  
John tried to not look offended. "Oh, okay. Fine. I get it."  
"No, no. Not like that, it's just my house isn't exactly in the best state."  
_"_Oh, well I'm sure it's not that bad."  
"Please John. Give me a couple of days to make the place look less poverty stricken, then I'll invite you round for tea, yeah?"  
"Okay, okay. I'll see you in a couple days then Aria." he kissed her on the cheek again.  
"Goodbye John." Aria called. "Ring my mobile if you need me, I couldn't pay off the house phone."  
John nodded and sauntered down the path, then Aria unlocked her house and stepped inside.  
"Time to clean up in here." She said to herself.

It didn't take a lot of time to clean up her living room as the only mess was random canvases and paints from Aria's attempts at art.  
She had always wanted to be a painter and at this moment she wished that she had the same confidence that she did when she was a child.  
She knew that she was good and she had been told that she was good but her self esteem was low so she had never pursued the career.  
Maybe if she had she wouldn't have been in the mess that she was.  
Although she had now cleaned up all the mess, she still didn't want anybody in her house.  
The paint was cracked and the carpet had stains in it that she had failed at getting out.

Aria turned in a circle, taking in every flaw in the room and then crumbled into a ball on the floor.


	2. Chapter 2

Aria locked the front door of her house, unable to take the worry of John seeing the state that it is in.  
She wasn't worried that he'd judge her, because she knew he wasn't like that, but she was afraid he'd try to pay for her to have it fixed and she was far too proud to accept that.

Aria then opened her purse and counted the money inside. There was thirty seven pounds altogether and although she obviously had more money in her bank account, spending as much as a penny of the could get her kicked out of her house.

Aria strolled down a cobbled street and into a small corner shop.  
She lifted a loaf of bread and a two litre carton of milk then walked to the counter.  
"Hi Gavin." she smiled at the nineteen year old boy behind the counter.  
"Alright Aria?" the boy chirped in his heavy Yorkshire accent. "Do you want the usual too?"  
Aria considered this for a bit. Cigarettes are expensive but how could she cope without them  
"Uh, yeah thanks." Aria nodded.  
She handed over her money, packet her stuff into bags and walked out.

After taking a cigarette out of the packet, Aria lit it and took a look drag.  
"God." she whispered. "I needed that."  
She then decided to go for a walk around her small village since she had nothing planned for the rest of the day.

First, she ambled over to the bakery where she knew a few people who worked there.  
Usually company didn't make Aria feel better about anything, but on this day she couldn't think of anything better to do.  
"Elle, hi." she mumbled to one of the girls behind the glass case of cakes and pastries.  
"Oh my God, if it isn't Aria Striker!" shrieked Elle.  
"Um, I - uh. Hi."  
"Wow, darling you really haven't changed a bit. Still the awkward little cutie I remember."  
"Is that a compliment?"  
"Of course it is sugar!"  
"Well then you're still the crazy bubbly girl I remember." Aria half smiled and refrained from adding, 'and just as annoying'.  
"Aw, you are so sweet." Elle grinned. "So were you lookin' for something darling?"  
"Nope, just felt like I had been too long since I stopped for a chat."  
"Well my boss is gonna kill me if I'm caught chatting again, but maybe you could pop in tomorrow at around twelve and we could go somewhere while I'm on my break?"  
"Of course sweetie, bye bye!" Aria said in a sickeningly sweet tone before exiting the bakery and swinging the door so that it jingled.

Aria continued to walk around the village until she came to an empty park where she used to hang out as a kid.  
It had become a little worn over the years and nobody ever used it anymore, so since it was completely empty, Aria sat down on one of the two out of five swings that had lasted through the years to smoke.  
She blew a smoke ring into the air and watched it until it disappeared.

Aria's phone buzzed in her pocket and she took it out to read a message.  
[From - John] You alright? x  
[sms;John] Fine.

She didn't feel like getting into a conversation with him at that moment so she made her response blunt.

Aria heard footsteps and she looked up to see a dark haired man walk over and sit down on the other swing.  
"Do you have a lighter?" he asked her.  
"Here." she half smiled, handing it to him.  
"Thanks." the man took a cigarette out of his back pocket and lit it.  
"No problem."  
"I snuck out of my house especially for this. My friend or colleague or whatever he is always tells me not to smoke. But what can I do? An addictions an addiction."  
"I know what you mean, back when I still had any friends that actually cared, they would always tell me to quit, but it's not that simple. It was always with the 'but it'll kill you'. They never seemed to understand that I'd probably be dead faster without them."  
"Smoking. The slowest form of suicide."  
"Wow. I never thought about it that way before. I like that idea."  
"Glad to be of service." the man grinned at Aria, flashing a set of straight white teeth.

Aria's phone buzzed again, but she ignored it.  
"Your boyfriend looking for you?" the man asked jokingly.  
"Perhaps. Who cares?" Aria shrugged.  
"Not me, that's for sure." he smirked playfully.  
"What about your friend? Won't he be looking for you?"  
"Probably. He won't find me at least for a while though, I don't live in this village."  
"All that effort just for some nicotine, huh?"  
"Of course. Wouldn't you do that?"  
"For coffee I would. Coffee is my kriptonite but cigarettes are just something I use to blur my thoughts as much as possible."  
"Ah, I see. Coffee to keep you alert because you can't ignore the voices when you sleep and cigarettes to dull them down as much as you can during the day."  
"I have never heard anybody describe me so perfectly. Are you usually so good at reading people?"  
"Only people I feel like I can relate to. So what can I call you, mystery coffee girl?"  
"I'm Aria." she smiled, offering her hand to the man.  
Rather than shaking it, he slanted a kiss on the tips of her fingers.  
"Nice to meet you Aria. My name's Richard. Richard Brook."


	3. Chapter 3

Aria walked home slowly, thinking about her encounter with Richard.  
Something about him had spooked her, although she couldn't think of what it was.  
She didn't think it was a bad thing though as she kind of enjoyed his cryptic and slightly dangerous attitude which was very different of that of John Watson, who was very sweet and kind, but not at all mysterious in Aria's opinion.  
Aria resented these thoughts but she couldn't help realising how easily Richard was able to capture her attention where John could lose her interest quickly in their very ordinary conversations.

Aria felt like she needed to get rid of all these thoughts, and she could only think of one way to do that.  
So, when she got home, she took out her best paints and brushes and started to paint on a new canvas.

She didn't know what she could paint, but just let her brush guide her in painting whatever came to her mind.  
The problem was, there was only one thing on her mind and when she had finished her ever so detailed painting of Richard Brook, she stopped and stared for a moment.  
She didn't know what to do with it and she was sure that she couldn't keep it, but there was something about the way she had portrayed Richard's smirk and the twinkle in his eye so perfectly that made her want to have it.

Aria sighed and cleared up the paints before sitting down on her battered old sofa and looking at the painting again.  
When she was sure that the paint was dry, she took the canvas into the kitchen and propped it up against a cupboard to deal with another day.  
'I guess getting Richard out of my head is out of the question then.' she thought.

The next day, Jim Moriarty was growing more bored by the second and was in desperate need of a cigarette but Sebastian was watching him this time and Jim didn't have the energy to knock him out.  
"If you're that bored boss, I can always text one of the boys and tell them to go ahead with those plans that we've been saving for a rainy day." Sebastian suggested.  
"Whatever." Jim sighed, flicking a pound coin into the air and catching it when it fell.  
"It's sure to get the attention of Sherlock Holmes which I know that you crave." Sebastian said while typing a message into his phone telling one of the gun men out in the city to put the plan into action.  
"Perhaps." Jim mumbled, rising from his seat and strutting to the window. "We'll see."

Aria had arrived at Baker Street just before Sherlock came bursting through the door with John in tow.  
"Sorry Aria, I'll have to cancel on going out tonight. There's been a few murders." John apologised.  
"Unless of course you'd like to tag along." Sherlock offered.  
"Sherlock, I'm sure Aria doesn't want t-"  
"Sounds interesting. I wouldn't mind coming." Aria interrupted.  
John raised an eyebrow. "Okay, uh. Let's go then."

The three of them got into a taxi and Sherlock told the driver the destination.  
"So what's got you interested in murders all of a sudden?" John asked.  
"My mother was a crime writer. She never had anything published but I always loved her books ever since I was a kid. I think I have a few of her finished ones in my house somewhere." Aria replied, smiling. She wasn't actually thinking about her own mother though. She was thinking about the mother of her old best friend Alice, who was pretty much a mother to her anyway.  
Aria would constantly wish that she was still alive to help her out.  
The rest of the cab journey was fairly quiet.

Once Sherlock had paid the driver, they got out of the taxi and walked over to where Lestrade and a few other officers were standing.  
"Sherlock, you took your time! Who's this?" Lestrade gestures to Aria.  
"This is my girlfriend, Aria this is Greg Lestrade." John replied.  
"Nice to meet you." Aria shook hands with Greg.  
"So, what's going on here?" Sherlock questioned.  
"Well, three men appear to have been shot. One is here and the other two are both an equal distance away, set up in the shape of a triangle. The boys are currently running tests on the bullets and we'd say the killers will be pretty easy to find."  
"If it's so simple then why call me?"  
"Well, the whole triangle thing, it seems a bit complex doesn't it? I mean, if they'd go to all that effort then why wouldn't they at least make their bullets as unrecognisable as possible?"  
"Maybe they're trying to frame somebody?" Aria suggested.  
"That's possible. Or the killers _want _to get caught." Sherlock walked forward to where the body was lying.  
"What kind of person would want to get caught?" Aria raised an eyebrow.  
"A person wouldn't, but a spider would."  
"Wow, Sherlock! Are you suggesting this is Moriarty?" John gasped.  
"Why? Don't you believe me?"  
"Of course, it's just... you have a habit of blaming everything on him."  
"That's because it's usually his fault, John. Nearly every case we've been on, he helped the criminals. But this is different. This is his own work. He needs attention, John. _He's bored."  
_

_"_Who's Moriarty?" Aria asked.  
Sherlock, John and Greg all whipped their heads around to look at her.  
"_Who's Moriarty?" _John widened his eyes. "How could you possibly not know?"  
"Jim Moriarty is only the best criminal mastermind this word has ever seen. He blends in with the normal people pretty well though, so you may even have seen him! He could walk right up to you in the middle of the street and ask for a cigarette lighter and you wouldn't even know that he was a criminal." Sherlock answered Aria's question then returned to inspecting the body of the dead man.  
That statement made a shiver go down Aria's spine. She thought nothing of it though.

A few minutes later, an officer walked over to Lestrade.  
"We traced the gun back to the shop and when we asked who bought it, the owner said is was Sebastian Moran." he said.  
"See John, I told you. I wouldn't bother chasing up Sebastian though. My guess is he wasn't the one who fired it." Sherlock grinned. "That's enough for today. John, Aria. Let's go."

They walked down to the main street and got their second cab for that day.  
"221B Baker Street, please." Sherlock told the driver.  
"And could you stop at 16 Norhaven Drive on the way please." John added.  
Aria asked random questions about Moriarty until they reached her house and John paid her cab fare.  
"John!" she groaned.  
"I'll see you in a while Aria." John shooed her out of the taxi and it sped off down the road.

"Did it go well then?" Jim asked, walking over to Sebastian who had just hung up on one of his men.  
"Exceptionally well. We got Sherlock and John and they even brought some girl with them. "  
"Really?"  
"Yeah, she's apparently Watson's new girlfriend. Long dark hair, green eyes. I think her name was Aria or something."  
"Aria? Interesting..." A knowing smile played on Jim's lips.


	4. Chapter 4

Aria fell asleep that night for the first time in two days.  
She didn't want to, but she was so tired that she just passed out.

Many different dreams whirled around inside her head at once. Some about money and most about Richard Brook.  
She woke up just as her head felt like it could burst any minute.  
The dry burning in the back of her throat told her that she had been screaming.

Aria cursed under her breath when she realised that she only had ten minutes before she was supposed to be at work.  
She then got dressed quickly, brushed her teeth and hair then hurriedly did her makeup.

After she left her house, she bolted down the street and into the small dry cleaning shop that she worked in.  
"Morning Aria, I almost thought you weren't going to get here!" Meredith, the owner of the shop grinned happily.  
Aria sighed inwardly, wondering what she had panicked for.  
She had never been late before, and her elderly boss was always happy of her company if anything.  
Meredith was one person that Aria felt she could trust and tell anything to, almost like a grandparent or a close family friend.

"Hi, Meredith." Aria smiled, as the weight on her shoulders lifted a little bit. Not a lot, but it was enough for Aria's usually dull and uninterested green eyes to sparkle a little. Just the same way they had done a few days ago at the park.  
"Any gossip deary?" Meredith asked once Aria had walked behind the counter. Since the woman lived alone and only got out of her house for work which was only next door, she was always interested to hear about whatever Aria had been up to, no matter how boring it may be.  
"Not a lot." Aria lied. Talking about what had happened to her would certainly make her feel better, but she'd have to think of a way to word it first in case it came out wrong.  
"Oh, shame. And how's that boyfriend of yours?"  
"Hm, John's fine. He and Sherlock took me to one of their crime scenes yesterday which was pretty interesting."  
"Oh really? I've heard about their little crime solving business from people who come in here, but I don't know a lot about it."  
"Well, Sherlock's pretty impressive I guess, but I've heard him and John Watson talked up more than I think they deserve. Don't go telling that I said that though."  
"You have my word."

The door jingled and a teenage girl strutted in.  
"Hello dear, how can I help you?" Meredith asked her.  
"Um, hiya. I'm Emily Crawford, my mum dropped in and payed for my school blazer to be cleaned last week."  
"Ah, yes. Aria, could you go get that? I believe it's labeled."  
Aria nodded and strolled through to the back room, where all different suits and fancy dresses were hanging. In the corner, there was a blazer for the local school, which Aria lifted and inspected the label. Upon discovering that it was the right item, she took it back to the front desk and handed it to Emily.  
"Thanks Miss!" the girl grinned at Aria and then at Meredith before exiting the shop.

"I thought teenage girls were meant to be grumpy." Aria chuckled. " I certainly was."  
"Maybe it's because we're strangers. When her mum's around I'm sure she's a nightmare." Meredith sighed.  
"Mm..." Aria's thoughts started to muddle again and she was eventually off in her own world.

After a few minutes, Meredith broke the silence. "There's something on your mind. I can tell."  
Aria sighed. "It's nothing."  
"Doesn't seem like nothing. Go on. No matter what it is, my lips are sealed."  
Aria considered this for a moment, but who was she kidding? She was going to need to tell somebody more and more the longer it played on her mind and Meredith was definitely her best bet. She could trust that woman with her life.  
After taking a deep breath to prepare herself, Aria started to tell Meredith of the events that had been haunting her since they happened.

"It started when I went to the corner shop and bought some cigarettes. I didn't feel like going home so I decided to walk around the village a little bit and I came to the old park where i sat to have a smoke. I was alone for a while, but then a man walked over and as- asked for a light-t-ter." Aria composed herself and then carried on. "We, uh, chatted for awhile and ever since then can't get him out of my head. From his looks, to his voice, to his words, to the way he kissed my fingertips lightly in the way that only happens in movies! I don't even know if I'm actually _attracted _to him. He just entered my thoughts when we met, and I don't think he's leaving anytime soon."  
"Well it sounds to me like you're attracted to him." Meredith teased.  
"What would it matter if I am?" Aria ran a hand through her hair. "I doubt I'll ever see him again. He said he didn't live in the village."  
"You never know darling. Maybe he's somewhere close by, unable to get that girl with the dark hair and green eyes from the park out of _his _head."  
"Oh please. He probably forgot me as soon as I walked away. What about me would interest him?"  
"You're more interesting that you give yourself credit for, Aria. What was this mystery man's name anyway? I'm assuming he told you."  
"His name was-"  
"Richard Brook." Aria heard a familiar Irish accent say from behind her. "I believe you have my suit?"

Aria's heart raced unbelievably fast and then slowed down so much that she couldn't even tell if she was still alive or not.  
"Ah, yes." Meredith replied. "Could you get that dear?"  
Aria nodded and dashed into the back room, considering not coming out again.  
At first she thought that she imagined the voice, but when she looked through the suits she eventually got to that name. '_Richard Brook.' _  
Instead of hiding in the coat rack, she bravely lifted the suit in it's clear dust cover and carried it out.  
She handed it over with shaky hands, trying to hide her face.

"Well if it isn't coffee girl. Nice to see you again."  
Aria looked up and smiled weakly, gripping onto the desk in an attempt to stop shaking.  
"That's a fancy suit you got there. "  
"Very. Westwood." 'Richard' grinned proudly.  
"Slightly different image from the t-shirt and jeans look you were sporting at the park."  
"Well, I'm hardly going to wear a suit when I escape my house for a smoke, am I?"  
"You might."  
"If you think that, then that makes you stupid."  
"And what would that make you? Sherlock Holmes?"  
"His counterpart."  
"Really? He's never mentioned you."  
"Oh, you've gotta be joking! Sherlock and I go way back! How do you know him anyway?" Of course Jim already knew the answer to this question, but 'Richard' thought Aria might be suspicious if he didn't ask.  
"I'm John Watson's girlfriend."  
"Oh. I wouldn't have thought he was your type."  
"How would you know what my type is?"  
"I was hoping-" Jim leaned on the counter and came so close to Aria that they could feel each other's breath on their faces. "-to find out."  
He stayed in his position for a few moments and Aria didn't dare move either. The two had completely forgotten about the elderly woman in the room but Meredith wasn't about to interrupt.

Jim moved once he thought that he had played with Aria enough.  
"I'll be seeing you around." He promised. "Goodbye Aria Striker."  
Aria was about to say goodbye to when she realised something.  
"Richard!" she called, just before he exited the shop.  
"Yes?"  
"How did you know my name?"  
"Because you told me."  
"I never told you my last name."  
"Yes you did, Aria Jane Striker." and without giving Aria a chance to reply, Jim was gone.  
"No I didn't." Aria whispered to herself.

Of course, Jim knew that Aria had only told him her first name. He remembered every detail of that night just as she did, maybe better.  
This was all part of his game. His oh so well planned out game, up until when he neared it's end.  
Although part of him was convinced that he would one day kill this girl once he was done with her, he still had a little nagging feeling at the back of his mind that he had already become a little to attached to Aria Jane Striker.

And although we like to ignore them most of the time, those little nagging feelings at the back of our heads that we ignore or brush off as unimportant, are usually right.


	5. Chapter 5

Jim was bored. He had no crimes to commit that were interesting and he hadn't got the attention he desired from the crimes he had committed.  
He didn't even consider continuing to corrupt Aria Striker until two weeks after their last meeting.  
"Sebastian!" he called, but there was no reply.  
He tried calling again, but then remembered that Sebastian had left and wouldn't be back for a few months.

Sebastian's absence gave Jim an idea. It steered away from his original plan, but he loved it.

Aria walked to her front door and lifted her post.  
"Bill, bill, menu, bill." she mumbled to herself then threw down the envelopes again.  
When she strolled into her living room, she slid down onto her floor.  
"What am I going to do?" she whispered, holding her head in her hands.  
She then finally came to the realisation that she was going to have to ask for help.

Aria first called her sister, but there was no answer.  
Then her old best friend. No answer there either.  
Finally she tried her parents.

"Hello?" she heard the voice of her mother for the first time in five years and had to fight back her tears.  
"Hello, mum."  
"Who's that?"  
"No, mum it's Aria."  
"Aria...?"  
"Your daughter."  
"Oh."  
"Is dad there?" Aria asked, unable to cope with talking to her mother any longer. It had been so long that Aria almost managed to convince herself that she missed her mum and that she probably missed Aria too, but it was evident now that neither of them cared for the other. Aria's father however, she missed terribly.  
"No he's eh- gone out." Aria could tell that the woman was lying, but she said nothing.  
"Oh okay."  
"Why? What do you want to talk to him for?"  
"Well..." Aria couldn't see any point in lying. "I need to borrow money. "  
"You what? You're disgusting, completely disgusting. After all this time, you never called, you never wrote, you never came back to visit, but as soon as you need something you call straight away!"  
"I called everyday. Just ask dad! I talked to him every single day, but you were too busy to ever talk to me. I never missed a day, but after about six months he just stopped answering the phone and so did Ava. At first I kept trying. Kidding myself into thinking that they had gone out, or were busy. I gave up eventually. But I did call!"  
"You lying little bitch! What sort of mother would I be if I didn't get time to speak to my own daughter?"  
"You were never any sort of mother to me, _Debbie_." Aria spat out her mothers name in a tone that was filled with venom and sarcasm. "You clearly always loved Ava more, but I'm not blaming my darling sister because she hated you almost as much as I do!"  
"How dare you speak to me like that? I love you just as much!"  
"You don't love me at all! You never did!" Tears started to spill down Aria's cheeks.  
"Are you crying? You're so weak Aria! You're so fucking weak!"  
"No I'm not!" Aria choked.  
"You are! You always have been! I found that out back when you were young and depressed. What reason did you even have to be depressed? You didn't know struggle or hardship! You never went to school and you never did any work at all! And all that time I secretly hoped that you wouldn't get better, because you were easier for me to handle when you were crumpled in a bloody ball on the floor. And you know what? I hope you have a relapse, because then you can suffer for being such a horrible daughter, friend and general human being for your entire life!"  
"That's an awful thing to say! I hate you! I hate you so much!"  
"Goodbye Aria. I'm going to hang up."  
"Goodbye mother. I'll see you in hell!" Aria screamed before throwing her phone against the wall and lying down on the cold wooden floor.

She stared at the ceiling for an hour, but it felt like minutes.  
There was other people she could call for help of course, but her conversation with Debbie had put all thoughts of her money out of her head.  
All she could think of was how much she hated herself and everything else.  
She thought her life needed to end and she already had ways planned out of doing it if it came to that point which it now had.  
There was very few people in the world who could stop her right now and most of them had seemingly disappeared.

When she stood up, she felt dizzy and her vision was blurry.  
She walked into her bathroom and immediately fell on the floor again and threw up the very little food that had been in her stomach before going into her medicine cabinet.  
She had so many different pills which she could overdose on, but that wasn't her idea.  
At the very back of the cupboard there was a syringe filled with a medicine for an illness she couldn't remember the name of that an old friend used to have.  
The friend gave one of the syringes to Aria in case they were ever together and she needed it.  
She never took it back and Aria kept it.  
The injection is lethal to people without the illness, so Aria thought it might be the best way.

She stared at the needle for a bit before placing it down on the sink then going to her bedroom.  
She took out a beautiful red dress that she bought before she ran out of money, then ran a comb through her hair.  
When she put the dress on, she then grabbed her wash bag and returned to her bathroom.  
After cleaning off her old makeup, she started putting on mascara.  
Aria didn't bother with foundation or concealer, because she didn't want the dark circles under her eyes to be covered.  
After her eyelashes were perfectly coated, she put on a deep red lipstick and opened the drawer under her sink where she kept a sharp penknife.

The cuts she made were small at first, but then she got angrier with every cut and started carving letters into her arms.  
She didn't know what she was carving, but she just went with it as the blade of her knife formed the words 'I AM NOT WEAK.'  
She watched the blood drip from her arm and a smile twitched on her lips.  
'This is it.' she thought. 'No more pain. No more pretending everythings okay.'

She got ready to plunge the needle into her other arm and took a deep breath.  
The syringe caused barely any pain and Aria passed out in minutes.  
The problem was, Aria's syringe was still in her hand when she fell, still full and with no blood on it at all and despite being in a state of madness Aria realised before she hit the ground that she wasn't the one who injected her arm.


	6. Chapter 6

Aria woke up in an unfamiliar place, handcuffed to the chair she was sitting on.  
"What the fuck?" she muttered to herself.  
At first she couldn't remember the events of the previous night, but eventually everything came back.  
The fight with her mother, having a relapse then being sedated.  
She swore she saw Richard Brook hovering over her just before she passed out, but had it really been him?  
Aria thought about how he had known her middle name and last name, neither of which she had actually told him and decided that she had to entertain the possibility that handsome and mysterious Richard was her kidnapper.

Aria glanced around at the fairly fancy house.  
There was a red leather sofa, paintings on the walls and the carpet beneath her feet was warm and soft.  
She mostly kept her focus on the sofa though and imagined that she was sitting on it instead of the uncomfortable block of wood which she was chained to.

She looked at her wrist which was becoming red from how tight the cuff was, then glanced at her other wrist to compare.  
When she looked away, she thought for a second then looked back to check she wasn't seeing things.  
She looked back and her eyes hadn't been mistaken.  
A brand new silver DKNY watch was now where her old broken watch was just the day before.  
"Okay, that's a bit creepy." Aria whispered.  
"Really? I thought you'd like it."  
Aria's head shot up and she saw Jim loitering in the doorway.  
"Ri-Richard? Is that you?"  
"Yes. Well, yes and no."  
"What?"  
"It's complicated." Jim pulled up a chair in front of Aria. "But you can call me Jim."  
"Jim? Jim as in Moriarty?"  
"No, Jim as in James."  
"But is your surname Moriarty?"  
"It is. You're oddly calm Aria."  
"Am I?" Aria asked. She knew she was awfully calm, but she didn't know why. Every time she was in Jim's presence her attitude went from reticent to bold and flirtatious and she couldn't help it.  
"Yes. Usually when I kidnap people they're more panicked and terrified."  
"Maybe I'm just excellent at hiding things."  
"Nobody can hide anything from me." Jim smirked.  
"I can try."  
"Try all you like."

Jim stood up to leave the room again.  
"Wait." Aria commanded.  
Jim tried to keep walking. 'You don't have to listen to her!' he thought. 'Your her master now.'  
He turned back to the woman anyway.  
"Yes, darling?" he folded his arms.  
Aria gestured to the handcuffs.  
"Oh, you want me to let you go?" Jim scoffed.  
"No. I know you aren't going to do that, I'm not stupid. I want you to go lock all your doors and windows so I can't escape then come back and take these bloody cuffs off because they hurt like hell."  
"Why should I do that?"  
"Because I'm your guest?"  
Jim sighed and walked off, leaving Aria alone again.

Once he was gone, Aria immediately started analyzing and calculating how she would get out.  
She still tried to keep her composure and stay calm. There was nothing to be scared of yet. He hadn't done anything, plus this man had a reputation of playing with his food for a little bit too long. Aria was sure she could get out easily within the next few weeks, basically unharmed.

When Jim returned, he wordlessly bent down beside Aria and pushed a small key into the lock of the handcuffs, making sure to 'accidently' brush Aria's hand as he did. Aria knew he was doing it on purpose though, no matter how subtle he tried to be. She knew he was trying to get a reaction out of her, so she didn't give him one.  
Jim then pulled himself up a little bit and leant into Aria's ear. "You can move now." he whispered.  
Aria knew it was best not to move until he had walked away from her, so she stayed put.  
"You aren't a very obedient pet are you?" Jim mock pouted, stroking his thumb along Aria's cheek.  
"I'm not your pet." Aria hissed.  
"You are now." Jim grinned and Aria glared in response. "That's a shame."  
"What is?" Aria asked.  
"You seem to like Richard more than you like me." Jim curled his bottom lip downwards, his hand still caressing Aria's face.  
"What would give you that idea James?" Aria sighed, with a tinge of sarcasm in her voice.  
"Well." Jim moved round so he was facing the dark haired woman face to face. "Back in the dry-cleaners, 'Richard' completely _paralyzed _you by doing this, but when me, Jim, does it, you don't seem to care."  
"You know how it is. Sometimes fictional men can be far more intriguing than the men who portray them."  
Jim stood up quickly and straightened out his suit. "I see." His mouth formed a frown which he disguised quickly.  
Then he was gone from the room again.

Aria took this opportunity to rise from her seat and run to the sofa.  
She rubbed at her wrist but it only made the pain worse and that's when she noticed the bandages.  
Of course she remembered that she had been cutting the previous night, but she didn't expect Jim to care in any way.  
'He's a polite kidnapper, isn't he?' she mumbled, crossing her legs.

Jim wasn't back in the room for a while so Aria stood up and started looking around.  
She refrained from being nosy, as knowing her luck Jim would walk in on her going through his stuff or something, and just stuck to looking at the things that were on display before returning to the sofa.

She placed her head in her hands and let out an exasperated groan.  
Aria had no idea what Jim was capable of, nor did she want to find out.  
She tried to convince herself that she would be rescued soon, but to Aria 'soon' could mean anything from a few days, to a few months, to a few years.  
It could even mean she would never escape at all. That's what happened back when she was a teenager and she learned never to trust the word 'soon', no matter what the situation.

All Aria could do was think. She thought of ridiculous ways to get out and of impossible ways to contact somebody who could help her.  
They were all just silly ideas which she knew would never work, but it kept her mind occupied.  
There was only one idea which she had that she thought was actually worth considering, and that was not to try and escape, but to respond to Moriarty's mind games rather than ignoring him and by doing this, play some mind games of her own on Jim.  
This wasn't anything new to Aria. She always had a way with hypnotising and manipulating people and getting them to do what she wanted.  
She could tell that Jim would be a challenge, but she was willing to try just to get out of his control.

Aria mapped out her plan of action in her head, although she didn't go into specifics as she would need to respond to Jim's actions which she was unable to predict.

"You look comfortable." Jim remarked as he sauntered back into the room.  
"You look _suspicious_." Aria retorted.  
"Do I?" Jim smirked, sitting down to face the woman.  
"You always do." she sighed.  
"Is that a good thing?"  
"It can be."  
Jim raised an eyebrow and moved to sit beside Aria. He expected her to move, but of course she didn't.  
"So, are we friends now?" Jim chuckled darkly and stared intensely at Aria.  
Aria reached into Jim's back pocket and pulled out a cigarette and lighter which she had noticed earlier, then lit the cigarette and took a drag.  
"I'll think about it." she bit her bottom lip and tilted her head to one side.  
Jim was surprised by Aria's sudden change in character and was unsure what to say to her. He had his whole plan laid out in front of him, but Aria caught him off guard which is what she had hoped for. And Aria realised that she missed the thrill of the chase way more than she had previously been willing to admit.


	7. Apology

I just wanted to apologise for not updating recently, I've been busy doing absolutely nothing.  
It's Camp NaNoWriMo soon and I'm not sure whether I'm using this book for it or not, but probably not. In that case I will try and update before it starts and at least twice during the course of the event, although I cannot guarantee anything. Thanks for being patient with me and I promise when Camp NaNoWriMo is over (which will also mean that I will be off from school) I will update lots.

So I will begin writing the next chapter tonight and hopefully have it up by tomorrow 3


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